in washington, d.c. you're watching rt. we start with the crisis in syria as the united states and its allies away options for military intervention after the chemical attack last week in damascus. despite denials from the syrian regime, the white house has said it is undeniable president bashar al-assad is behind the attacks, setting the stage for an international brawl. president hassan rouhani of iran said he will press forward with attempts to ward off military action by western nations against president bashar al- assad. he was quoted as saying that military action will bring great cost for the region. it is necessary to apply all effort to prevent it. according to state tv, he said both iran and russia would work in cooperation to prevent any military action against syria. meanwhile, the united states and its allies continue to pair for a potential strike. president obama told pbs yesterday he did not want a prolonged military intervention. >> if we are saying in a clear and decisive but very limited way, we send a sh